Draining-floor



(No Model.)

CfPoTTER. DRAINING FLOOR.

No. 596,540. Patented Jan. 4, 1898.

l/JZW'ESSES UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

CHARLES-POTTER, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

DRAI'NlNe-FLOOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,540, dated January4, 1898.

Application filed May 27, 1897. Serial No. 638,353. (No model.)

To all whom t 11m/y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES POTTER, residing at Holyoke, in the countyof Hampden and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Draining-Floors, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to the ioors of draining tanks or vats used inpaper manufacture and for other similar purposes.

The object of the invention is to produce a floorwhich will permit theliquids or chemicals in a mass of paper-pulp to escape from the masswithout discoloration of liquid or pulp and without permitting theescape of the halfstuff, pulp, or fiber to any large extent, and to thisend the fioor of the drainer is constructed of an impermeable base, suchas concrete or cement, and a porous covering of bricks, tiles, or blocksof peculiar form, as hereinafter described.

Figure l is a perspective view of a broken v section of the floor,showing the brick, tile, or

block covering. Fig. 2 is a top plan of the brick or block. Fig. 3 is anend view of the brick or block, and Fig. 4. a side view.

The foundation or base A may be a loorin g of any suitable materialimpermeable to liquid, and is preferably a concrete flooring with asmooth surface, inclining to one side or corner, so that liquids willflow in the direction of the incline. This is the permanent floor of ableaching or straining vat, in which the pulp is stored, generally forseveral days or weeks, to permit the escape of liquid and a thoroughbleaching of the stock. On this per- Inanent iioor I form adraining-floor of bricks B. These bricks may be of clay, concrete,glass, or other material not much subject to the action of the chemicalsused in bleaching paper-stock. The bricks may be about the size ofbuilding-bricks or smaller or larger, according to circumstances.

Each brick B has a plane upper surface as smooth as convenient. The basehas an arched concavity @extending from end to end ofthe brick or blockand preferably formed in the mold before the burning or consolidation ofthe material of which the brick or block is composed. This arch C is topermit liquid to run along under the body of the brick,the

brick being supported on iioor A by side ribs D D at each side of thearch or concavity C.

The body of the brick is in form of a parallelogram; but there is arecess E along each side and end of the lower portion, so that when aiioor is covered with the bricks, as in Fig. l, open passages E' will befound along the sides and ends of the bric-ks, said passages extendingup for perhaps one-fourth or one-third the thickness of the brick orblock.

The overhanging edges F of each brick or block above the recesses E hasnotches G, eX- tending in vertical direction. The notches G are broadestand deepest at their lower ends and narrowest at the upper corner of thebrick, so that liquid and also particles of pulp or other material whichmay enter these notches or grooves will have a constantly-enlargingpassage as they move downward and thus there will be no tendency for thenotches or passages to clog or fill up. The notches terminate at thebottom of the overhang F, and anything passing down these passages williind much freer passage when it reaches the passages E'.

The notches on one end and one side of the brick are not in line with ordirectly opposite to the notches on the other side and end of the brick.In fact, the notches may differ both in number and position. Thisenables the paver to so lay the brick floor that the notches in twobricks may come opposite each other, as at H H, Fig. l, when openings orpassages nearly rectangular will be formed by the notches in twoadjacent bricks, or by turning the brick around the notches will not bein line and triangular passages, as at l I, will thus be made by thenotches in the edges of the bricks.

In general the liquid which passes down the notches or openings betweenthe edges of the bricks may flow off by the passages E until it finds alateral passageof similar character, along which it may passuntil itenters the arched passages C; but as a modification of my invention thebase of the bricks or of some of them may have lateral arched pas sagesC', as well as longitudinal arched passages C. VCare should be takenthat the baseribs D of the bricks or blocks be not cut away to such anextent as to give an insufficient support to the brick or block.

It Will be seen that bricks of the form described. pe'rrnit of aconsiderable variety in the character of the draining-licor covered bythem, and that excellent opportunity is afforded for the escape of theliquid, While excluding al] solids too large to pass through the notchesin the edges of the overhanging part of the bricks or blocks. Thepassages beneath the overhang at the sides of the brick or block arenotlikely to lill up With pulp or liber conveyed down through the smallnotches, as the liquid Will flow quite freely along these passages andcarry off any small pieces of pulp which have escaped through thenotches at the sides of the brick.

The number of notches in the edge of the brick Will depend on the sizeof the brick and the material of which it is composed. The notchesshould not be so near together that the projections between them will beeasily broken, nor so far apart as to preclude good drainage.

HI am aware that a drain tile or brick with arched passages along andacross one face, but Without the overhang, has been known.

Vhat ll claim isy l. The brick or block for a draining-fiom',

having an overhanging notched edge, and a recessed or cut-away portionunder said edge, substantially as described.

2. The brick or block for a draining-floor, having notched edges, thenotches in one edge being out of line `With the notches in the f otheredge, substantially'as described.

3. The block or brick for a draining-Hoor,

having an overhanging upper portion With notches in the edge of suchoverhang, a re'- I cess or cut-away portion below said overhang CHARLESPOTTER.

Vitnesses:

W. A. BARTLETT, CHAs. K. DAvIEs.

